2 Minute Apple Spice Mug Cake for Baby (BLW recipe)
Made with nutrient-dense eggs and naturally sweet ingredients like apple, this soft and fluffy baby mug cake delivers protein, healthy fats, and key nutrients to support rapid brain growth. This baby led weaning recipe is ready in under two minutes making it a quick and convenient breakfast for your baby.
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This post was written as a paid collaboration with Get Cracking. As always, all opinions are our own.
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"Love how quick and easy this recipe is for baby! Perfect for me!" - Kathlyn
We get it.
You're busy.
We're busy. But, we still want to do it all.
You want something quick - because omgosh we have a gazillion things to do before 9am when you're living the mom life. You want something nutritious that helps meet your baby's nutrient needs because holy dyna their brain is growing at a rapid pace. And finally, you want something delicious to feed your baby.
They say "something has to give," but we've gone ahead anyway and accomplished the impossible! We've crafted a baby breakfast recipe that's:
- Quick
- Nutritious
- Tasty
- Soft and Squishable
Enter the Baby Apple Spice Mug Cake-an easy baby breakfast idea we designed to fit the bill. You might be surprised to learn this, and we hate to brag…but…this recipe is ready in less than two minutes!
Why this recipe works
🕒 Literally takes less than 5 minutes
🍎 Naturally sweetened, so no added sugars since babies don't need that
💙 Perfect texture for baby led weaning
🧠 Contains nutrients babies need: iron, fibre, fat!
👶 Baby friendly from 6 months+
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Jump to:
- Why this recipe works
- Why do we love this mug cake recipe?
- Why eggs are a smart choice for a baby
- Key ingredients
- Allergen information & substitutions
- How to make this blw apple mug cake
- How to serve this apple mug cake at each baby & toddler stage
- Recipe FAQ
- Other recommended BLW recipes
- Apple Spice Mug Cake for Baby
Why do we love this mug cake recipe?
We could rattle off an entire essay about why we love this easy baby led weaning breakfast, but to spare you all that we're going to touch on a few things:
This baby breakfast mug cake is quick
One of the biggest advantages of this mug cake is it's convenience. As busy parents, we often need quick solutions without sacrificing nutrition, and this recipe does just that. With a few minutes (two, to be exact) of prep and cook time, you can have a nutritious meal ready quickly.
This baby breakfast mug cake is nutritious
It's a perfect breakfast or snack for babies starting on solids because it's packed with nutrition to support their growth and development. The combination of egg, almond butter, and iron-fortified infant cereal ensures that your baby gets a good mix of protein, healthy fats, and essential vitamins and minerals like iron. All of these ingredients support your baby's overall health!
This baby breakfast mug cake is tasty
This mug cake combines the natural sweetness of applesauce without added sugars, which babies don't need. Oh, and we can't forget about the warm flavour of cinnamon!
This baby breakfast mug cake is soft
When feeding babies, texture is always top of mind from a safety perspective. The cake is soft and squishable, making it ideal for babies who are still developing their chewing skills.
Why eggs are a smart choice for a baby
Eggs are a powerhouse of nutrition and an excellent choice for babies. According to the latest infant feeding guidelines, introducing eggs early right around 6 months can help prevent egg allergies. This makes eggs a smart addition to your baby's diet.
Eggs are nutritionally rich. They contain high-quality protein, which is essential for growth and development. Eggs are also a great source of vitamin B12, crucial for brain development, and choline, which supports cognitive function. Additionally, they provide healthy fats, and a neat compound called zeaxanthin, which is important for eye health. These nutrients make eggs a vital component of your baby's diet.
For more ways to offer your baby eggs, you'll want to make a batch of these freezer friendly banana coconut muffins or prepare our baby custard because it's okay for life to be fancy with a baby! Both of these recipes are perfect right at 6 months!
Amazing - one egg provides 100% of a baby's daily choline needs! Among other brain functions, choline plays a pivotal role in your baby's memory development.
Key ingredients
Applesauce: this fruit sauce is what allows the final mug cake to be a lightly sweetened product! Any other fruit sauce would work well if you don't have this on hand.
Egg: we're using one egg for this recipe. Eggs are a wonderful source of nutrition for your baby.
All-purpose flour: this recipe calls for all-purpose flour as that's what's going to allow the recipe to expand and be fluffy!
Iron fortified baby cereal: we've always been huge fans of iron fortified baby cereal and we love that this recipe uses it in a fun way!
Nut butter: in this case we're using almond butter since it complements the apple but any other nut butter would work including peanut butter.
Cinnamon: this spice is going to help add more notes of warmth and sweetness to the baby mug cake!
Allergen information & substitutions
This recipe contains a few of the top priority allergens according to Canadian and U.S. health guidelines including: wheat, eggs, and tree nuts. Depending on the iron fortified infant cereal you are using, it may also contain dairy from skim milk powder.
While we haven't tested it, you may be able to replace the all-purpose flour with a wheat free alternative. If you're an egg-free family there may be a suitable egg replacement you can use here. Finally, instead of almond butter you can use peanut butter or a seed butter.
Are you looking for current, evidence-based allergen introduction tips? You'll find them in our Start Solids Confidently video lesson.
How to make this blw apple mug cake
The full recipe is below, but here are a few key steps to visualize the process.
- Whisk together the egg, applesauce, and almond butter in a mug.
2. Stir in the flour, infant cereal, baking powder, and cinnamon.
3. Microwave for 60-90 seconds. It's done when a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
4. Carefully remove the cake from the mug and allow it to cool. Slice and serve to your baby.
How to serve this apple mug cake at each baby & toddler stage
4-6 months (and developmentally ready to start solids): this recipe isn't a good fit since it is a baby led weaning recipe and this feeding practice is recommended only once a baby turns six months old.
6-9 months: slice the mug cake into strips that are large enough for your baby to pick up with their palmar grasp.
9-12 months: As your baby works on improving their pincer grasp, you can slice the mug cake into smaller bite size pieces, about the size of a chickpea.
12 months+: As hard as it is to believe it...you have a toddler! We recommend slicing the mug cake into bite size pieces. Or, you can serve it in strips and encourage your toddler to take small bites, which is all a part of the "learning to eat" process.
Recipe FAQ
Absolutely! Iron fortified baby cereal can be used in the same way you would use flour. The bonus is that it contains additional iron, which is an important nutrient for your baby.
Honestly? Almost any purée fruit! We think banana, pear or even a strawberry purée would be tasty.
Replace the almond butter with peanut butter, a seed butter like "Sunbutter" or Wow Butter. The purpose of this ingredient is to make it more rich and nutrient dense with a source of fat.
Since the cake will rise you'll want a mug that is generous in size. We recommend using a mug that holds atleast 12oz.
If you tried this BLW apple mug cake or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝 comments below--it would make our DAY! Thanks for visiting!
Apple Spice Mug Cake for Baby
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon applesauce
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon iron fortified infant cereal
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Using a fork whisk together the egg, applesauce, and almond butter in a mug that holds at least 12 oz (375 ml). Stir in the flour, infant cereal, baking powder, and cinnamon.
- Microwave for 60-90 seconds. It's done when a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. CAUTION - mug may be hot! Remove the cake from the mug and allow it to cool to a safe temperature before slicing and serving to your baby.
Hi! I was interested in making this for my three year old — we no longer have infant cereal and I was wondering if oat flour or anything else could replace it? Also, would using peanut butter vs almond butter be a problem?
Hi! I think using oat flour or more wheat flour should work! And yes, pb is a good option, too!
For a 6 month old, would you just pop it out of the mug and serve whole or should I cut it in half?
Hey Sara - for this you could slice in half or into strips. If baby now has a pincer grasp then I would offer bite size pieces.
Any cooking suggestions if I wanted to multiply this recipe and make it into a batch of mini muffins?
Hey Chantel - we haven't tested that just yet. We suspect you could double it to make a few mini muffins but feel uncertain about the result - it should work with another cooking method. If you end up trying this, can you loop back in? And we'll do the same if we give it a go!
Mug cake!? Love this idea for baby AND this busy mom!
Right?! Mug cake is sooooo helpful for when life is busy and you need a quick but healthy meal!
Yum!
Love how quick and easy this recipe is for baby! Perfect for me!
A Win-win all around! We hope you enjoy it.